Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. Takes $18.65 Million Position in MSCI Inc $MSCI

Key Points

• Adams Diversified Equity Fund opened a new position in MSCI during the first quarter, buying 34,600 shares valued at about $18.65 million.
• MSCI is drawing attention for its $120 million cash acquisition of climate-risk data provider First Street, a move aimed at expanding its physical climate-risk analytics and geospatial tools.
• The company recently beat earnings and revenue expectations for the quarter, but the stock has still faced pressure as investors weigh acquisition costs and broader growth-stock weakness.

Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. acquired a new position in shares of MSCI Inc (NYSE:MSCI - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 34,600 shares of the technology company's stock, valued at approximately $18,650,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MSCI. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of MSCI by 7.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,003 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,133,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP boosted its position in MSCI by 39.0% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 6,585 shares of the technology company's stock worth $3,724,000 after acquiring an additional 1,846 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in MSCI by 20.9% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,052 shares of the technology company's stock worth $607,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its stake in MSCI by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 35,130 shares of the technology company's stock worth $20,261,000 after acquiring an additional 344 shares during the period. Finally, Osterweis Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in MSCI in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $88,000. 89.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting MSCI

Here are the key news stories impacting MSCI this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MSCI said it will acquire climate-risk data and analytics provider First Street for $120 million in cash, expanding its physical climate-risk capabilities and adding property-level and geospatial data tools that could strengthen its long-term product offering. MSCI to acquire climate risk data company First Street
• Neutral Sentiment: MSCI also drew attention for its role in ongoing index classification debates, with new coverage focused on South Korea’s market status and why MSCI still considers it an emerging market. These articles are more about MSCI’s benchmark methodology and may support the company’s visibility, but they are not a direct earnings driver. South Korea Has the World’s Hottest Stock Market: Why Does MSCI Still Call It ‘Emerging’?
• Negative Sentiment: Shares fell as investors weighed whether the First Street deal will deliver enough near-term return on investment, especially amid broader weakness in growth and market-data names. The move came despite MSCI’s recent quarter showing solid revenue and run-rate growth, suggesting the decline is more sentiment- and valuation-driven than tied to a fundamental miss. MSCI slides as investors weigh new acquisition against broader growth-stock pressure

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on MSCI from $719.00 to $727.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Weiss Ratings cut MSCI from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Monday, June 15th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of MSCI from $710.00 to $720.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of MSCI from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $650.00 to $700.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $690.00 target price on shares of MSCI in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and ten have given a Buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $697.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at MSCI

In related news, insider Alvise J. Munari sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $592.04, for a total transaction of $5,920,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 23,548 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,941,357.92. This represents a 29.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 3.76% of the company's stock.

MSCI Stock Performance

NYSE MSCI opened at $556.63 on Friday. MSCI Inc has a one year low of $501.08 and a one year high of $644.68. The company's 50 day moving average price is $591.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $572.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.79, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.24.

MSCI (NYSE:MSCI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The technology company reported $4.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.38 by $0.17. MSCI had a net margin of 40.74% and a negative return on equity of 65.48%. The firm had revenue of $850.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $830.91 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.00 earnings per share. MSCI's revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that MSCI Inc will post 19.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MSCI Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. MSCI's payout ratio is presently 46.83%.

About MSCI

MSCI Inc is a global provider of investment decision support tools and services for the financial industry. The company is best known for its family of market indexes, which are widely used as benchmarks by asset managers and as the basis for exchange-traded funds and other passive products. In addition to index construction and licensing, MSCI offers portfolio analytics, risk models, factor and performance attribution tools, and a suite of data and technology solutions designed to support portfolio management and trading.

Beyond traditional indexing and risk analytics, MSCI has expanded into environmental, social and governance (ESG) research and ratings, offering data, scores and screening tools that help investors integrate sustainability considerations into investment processes.

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